Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) Hits New 12-Month High - Here's Why

Hawkins, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $154.71 and last traded at $153.46, with a volume of 150282 shares. The stock had previously closed at $152.47.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HWKN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BWS Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Hawkins in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. CJS Securities initiated coverage on shares of Hawkins in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "market outperform" rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hawkins from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday.

Hawkins Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock's fifty day moving average is $132.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.52.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. Hawkins had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The business had revenue of $245.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $230.69 million. On average, analysts predict that Hawkins, Inc. will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Hawkins Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Hawkins's payout ratio is presently 17.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hawkins

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWKN. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in Hawkins by 533.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 266 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in Hawkins by 118.8% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 280 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Hawkins in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Hawkins in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hawkins in the first quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.71% of the company's stock.

About Hawkins

Hawkins, Inc operates as a specialty chemical and ingredients company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Industrial, Water Treatment, and Health and Nutrition. The Industrial segment offers industrial chemicals, products, and services to agriculture, chemical processing, electronics, energy, food, pharmaceutical, and plating industries.